"One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime."

- Billy Graham

HAVE FUN!

Your most important job as a coach is to create a culture where your players love to play lacrosse and look forward to practices/games as times when they know they will HAVE FUN! Having fun is the #1 reason kids play sports, and it should be the #1 reason you coach.

Be a Positive Coach

Kids learn better (and have more fun!) with coaches who use encouragement and positive reinforcement as their primary method of motivating. Negative coaching (intimidating, demeaning, etc) sucks the joy out of sports, and should be avoided at all costs. That doesn't mean to forgo criticism, just keep it constructive and positive:

Kid-Friendly Criticism - learn to give “Kid-Friendly Criticism,” such as criticizing in private, asking permission, using the Criticism Sandwich, and avoiding criticism in non-teachable moments

Reward Effort - reward effort, not just good outcomes (recognize players even for “unsuccessful effort")

Teach Life Lessons

Prepare your players to play at the highest level possible and to strive to win, but not with a "win at all costs" mentality. The more important goal is to use sports to help kids learn "life lessons" (teamwork, dedication, handling adversity, etc) that will help them be successful throughout their lives. Instead of emphasizing the scoreboard, emphasize what they can control - mastery of the sport - by encouraging the following:

Effort - always do your best in every practice and game

Learning - continue to learn and improve every time you play

Mistakes are Okay - don't be afraid to take chances and make mistakes (mistake rituals)

Honor the Game

Honor the game by demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship at all times: